Process for treating fibrous material and the products obtained thereby



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. JURY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO MORGAN & WRIGHT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

PROCESS FOR TREATING- FIBBOUS MATERIAL AND THE PRODUCTS OBTAINEDPatented Oct. 26, 1920.

'rnnnnnr.

1,356,920, Specification of Letters latent.

N0 Drawing.

Thereby, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to processes for treating fibrous material and tothe products obtained thereby. It is more particularly directed to aprocess for providing fibrous materials for use for example in rubbertires or in other articles where there is excessive wear due to flexingand abrasion; and to the products obtained by such process.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple process ofthe kind described adapted to treat the fibrous material thoroughly anduniformly. Another object is to provide an eificient process of the kindmentioned adapted to prepare the fibers without impairing theflexibility of materials made therefrom and practicall without preventinthe penetrability of suc materials by ru ber or similar plastic. Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an article having heightenedresistance to wear which shall exhibit a marked re sistance to theaction of the various agents encounted in vulcanizing rocesses.

The invention covers both the product and a method of producing same,the latter, briefly stated, comprising applying to fibrous material alubricant in a volatile solvent, impregnating the materials, evaporatingthe solvent and applying a coating of rubber or' similar plasticsubstance to the' so-treated fibrous material.

In carrying out the process in its preferred form, the fibrous materialpreferably in the form of single ply yarn is immersed for approximatelyten seconds in an impreg natin medium serving to coat the indivi ual fiers preferably containing the follo Application filed June 25, 1919.Serial No. 305,531.

ing ingredients in about the proportions stated:

Castor oiL -Q'parts by weight Beeswax 1 Carbon tetrachlorid 97 Theimmersion of the yarn is accomplished by passin the several strandsthereof on the way to t e twisting frame through a trough or pan whichcontains the coating medium. The pan is arranged between the spoolsof.yarn and the rollers between which the single strands passimmediately before they are twisted together. After immersion, the yarnis subjected to pressure by rolls to remove any excess of the coatingmedium. The solvent is" then preferably evaporated by any. well-knowndrying method with or without the use of artificial heating means. Theyarns so treated may then be twisted in the usual manner and woven intofabric or manufactured into any desired form. Rubber or other plasticmaterial may be applied to the fibrous material in the form of fabric orotherwise. The plastic material may be applied in any well known manner,for example, by frictioning" the fabric. The oil is substantiallynondryingand this together with the wax serve as a lubricant and thequantity of the lubricant employed is such that the fibers are thinlycoated while the. spaces normally present between the individual fibersare maintained substantially open. Where the fibers cross one anotherthe lubricant serves to prevent friction.

lthough the coatin solution is preferably applied to single p y am asmentioned above, it may also be app ied to the fibrous material in otherforms, for example, it may be applied after the fibrous material hasbeen woven into fabric or twisted into cord, or while it is in theformof plied yard,

or in any of'the forms through which it It will also be observed that,although castor oil and beeswax are preferably employed together in thecoating medium, good results have been obtained by the use of thesesubstances separately, and that these substances are simplyrepresentatives of a large class of materials with which I have madeexperiments and which have been found suitable for the purposementioned, examples of these being cotton seed oil, olive oil, paraflinand carnauba. Carbon tetrachlorid is preferred as a solvent, but it hasalso been found that benzol, kerosene, and gasolene may be similarlyused with good results. 7

As mentioned above, the coating of the fibers in the manner indicatedappears to form lubricated joints where the fibers cross or overlie oneanother, and such joints reduce the internal friction'and wear due toflexing and abrasion. The formation of such lubricated oints, may bebrought about in a somewhat similar manner to that recited in theprocess above by treating fibrous material, ordinarily provided with anatural protective coating, for example, cotton with its coating of waxymaterial with a volatile solvent. In carrying out such process in itspreferred form, the fibrous material is immersed in carbon tetrachloridat a high temperature for a short period. The solvent is then driven offby any desired drying means. By this treatment the natural waxy materialappears to be brought to a fluid or pasty condition and in thiscondition lubricated bonds are formed between the adjacent fibers. Incarrying out this process the fibrous material may be treated in theform of threads, cords or fabric, and various solvents other than carbontetrachlorid, such as benzol and kerosene may be employed with goodresults.

Coating with oil and wax in a volatile solvent effects a thorough, ra idand uniform penetration of the fiber. he uniformity of the coating isinsured through the use of these materials in solution. The thoroughnessof the penetration is insured b employing a volatile organic solvent.

xperiment has shown that such solvent is better adapted for penetrationof fibrous material than a vehicle such as water. Further with the useof such solvent there is substantially no distortion through swelling ofthe threads, and consequently the spaces between the threads areuniformly left open. The maintenance of these spaces is particularlydesirable when rub; her is applied to the fabric as it flowstherethrough and upon subsequent vulcanization rubber rivets are formed.The rocess has also been found toicoat the individual fibers withoutdepositing an excess of lubricant therebetween. Thus the flexibility ofthe treated material is not impaired and the formation, of the rubberrivets mentioned is not interfered with. The advantages mentioned due tothe use of an organic solvent are also secured where a naturallv coatedmaterial is treated with such solvent is greatly heightened both wherelubricant is added and where simple treatment of the fiber with solventis carried on. A particular advantage of this increased resistanceresides in the fact that a less strong cotton fabric may be employed inthe manufacture of tire fabrics. At the present time practically alltire fabrics are manufactured from Egyptian or sea island cotton whichhas a long staple fiber. Short staple cotton such as American upland orpeeler cotton is not sufiicientl wear-resisting for the manufacture ofhigh-grade tire fabrics. By the present process these short-staplecottons may be employed since their resistance to wear may be increasedto equal substantially that of the Egyptian and sea island cotton. Suchsubstitution of the shortstaple cotton, of course, effects a relativesavin in the cost of the tires.

he process may also be applied to fibers such as hemp, jute, and thelike which have no natural waxy coating to impart to them the lubricantwith the resulting resistance to abrasion which as heretofore noted ispresent to some extent in cotton.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the s irit thereof, it is to be understoodthat I 0 not intend to limit myself to the specific form of theinvention as set forth except as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is: p

. 1. The process of treating fibrous material which comprises applyingthereto a substantially non-drying oil serving as a lubricant dissolvedin a volatile solvent, evaporating the solvent and treating the soprepared material with a vulcanizable plastic, the proportion of the oilbeing relatively small to obviate deleteriously aflecting the bondbetween the fiber and plastic.

2. The process of treating fibrous material which comprises applyingthereto a lubricant dissolved in a volatile solvent, evaporating thesolvent and treating the so prepared material with a vulcanizable'plastic, the proportion of the lubricant being relatively small toobviate deleteriously affecting the bond between the. fiber and plastic.

3. The process of treating fibrous material which comprises applyingthereto an oil containing wax serving as a lubricant dissolved in avolatile solvent, removing the solvent, and treating the so preparedmate-- rial with a vulcanizable plastic, the roportion of the oil beinre atively smal to obviate deleteriously a ecting the bond between thefiber and plastic.

4. The process of treating fibrous material which comprises applyinthereto a lubricant dissolved in an organic solvent in sufficientquantity to coat the fabric while maintaining the spaces normallypresent between the fibers substantially open, and treating the soprepared material with a vulcanizable plastic, the proportion of thelubricant being relatively small to obviate deleteriously affecting thebond between the fiber and plastic.

5. The process of treatin fibrous material which comprises applyingthereto an oil serving as a lubricant dissolved in a solvent, removingthe solvent, and treating the so prepared material with a coating ofvulcanizable rubber, the proportion of the oil being relatively small toobviate deleteriously affecting the bond between the fiber and rubber.

6. The process of treating fibrous material which comprises applyingthereto a quantity of oil and wax sufiicient to coat the fibers Whilemaintaining the spaces normally present between the fibers substantiallyopen, and treating the so prepared material with a plastic, theproportion of the oil being relatively small to obviate deleteriouslyaffecting the bond between the fiber and plastic.

7. The process of treating fibrous matevent, removing the solvent,'andtreating the 'so prepared material with a coating of rubber.

9. As an article of manufacture fibrous material having the individualfibers coated with a waxy lubricant in sufiicient quantity to cover thefibers while maintainin the spaces normally present between the %berssubstantially open, and a layer of rubber intimately associated with thefibrous material, the proportion of the lubricant being relatively smallto obviate deleteriously affecting the bond between the fiber andrubber. Y 1

10. As an article of manufacture fibrous. material evenly coated with anoil in sufiicient quantity to cover the fibers while maintaining thespaces normally present between the fibers substantially open, and alayer of rubber intimately associated with the fibrous material, theproportion of the oil being relatively small toobviate deleteriouslyaffecting the bond between the fiber and rubber.

11. Asan article of manufacture a layer of fibrous material impre natedby a lubricant residue from a so ution containing waxand ,a layer ofrubber intimately associated with the fibers, the proportion of thelubricant being relatively small to obviate deleteriously affecting thebond between the fiber and rubber. 12.'As an article of manufacture,fabric, a mixture of oil and wax residue from a solution impregnatingsaid fabric, and a layer of rubber intimately associated with saidfabric.

Signed at Newark, county of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 20th dayof une,

, ALFRED E. JURY.

